English around the world › Australia English words

Australia English words page 4

Australian English, from arvo to servo: the words Aussies use every day. 745 words and meanings, most familiar first.

WordMeaning
cornstalk nounA non-indigenous native of New South Wales.
decider nounAn event or action which decides the outcome of a contested matter.
dobber nounOne who dobs (informs against or implicates to authority).
donk nounA car's engine.
doorstop nounAn interview with a politician or other public figure (apparently informal or spontaneous but often planned), as they enter or leave a building.
dropkick nounAn unintelligent or useless person.
flatting nounThe practice of living, with others, in a flat.
footpad nounAn unmade, minor walking trail formed only by foot traffic.
gazump verbTo raise the selling price of something (especially property) after previously agreeing to a lower one.
golliwog nounA hairy caterpillar.
gridiron nounAmerican and Canadian football, particularly when used to distinguish from other codes of football.
growler nounA kind of jug used to carry beer (in current usage, a 2-liter or 64-ounce container with or without a handle; sometimes extended to similarly shaped 32-ounce jug, but not bottles).
gudgeon nounAny of various similar small fish of the family Eleotridae, often used as bait.
guernsey nounThe shirt worn by the players.
humpy nounA hut or temporary shelter made from bark and tree branches, traditionally used by Aboriginal people.
hypothecate verbTo designate in advance the specific purpose of expenditure for government revenues (especially taxes).
jabiru nounThe black-necked stork, Ephippiorhynchus asiaticus.
jemmy nounAn immigrant.
lugger nounA conman.
milkwood nounAlstonia scholaris (scholar tree, milky pine), and other species in the genus Alstonia.
mugwump nounA person who stays neutral or non-committal; a fence sitter; also, a person who maintains an aloof and often self-important demeanour.
mullock nounMining waste or ore processing waste:
munt verbTo vomit (usually while drunk).
nark nounAn unpleasant person, especially one who makes things difficult for others.
nobble verbTo injure or obstruct intentionally.
ocker nounA boorish or uncultivated Australian.
pash verbTo snog, to make out, to kiss.
piddle nounPiss: urine.
piker nounOne who refuses to go out with friends, or leaves a party early; a spoilsport or "chicken".
placer nounA lamb whose mother has died and which has transferred its attachment to an object, such as a bush or rock, in the locality.
plover nounThe masked lapwing, Vanellus miles.
poddy adjectiveFed by hand.
pommy nounA pom; a person of British descent, a Briton; an Englishman.
postcode nounA sequence of letters and numbers added to a postal address to aid the sorting and delivery of post or mail.
publican nounThe manager or owner of a hotel.
razz verbTo drive an vehicle around aimlessly.
rego nounRegistration for a motor vehicle.
scrag nounA rough or unkempt woman.
serviceability nounThe ability of an individual to make repayments on a loan.
shallot nounA scallion.
singlet nounA sleeveless buttonless shirt with a low-cut neck.
skeg nounA surfer; a person who leads a surfing lifestyle.
skite nounOne who skites; a boaster.
skivvy nounA close-fitting, long-sleeved T-shirt with a rolled collar.
slushy nounA kitchen helper.
snowberry nounSchizomeria ovata
snowdrop verbTo steal clothing (especially women's underwear) from a clothesline.
speel verbTo run.
superannuation nounA retirement benefit fund, an accumulation of regular deductions from one′s wage or salary while employed and similar regular contributions from the employer, usually administered by an independent entity; a pension.
swamper nounA person who travels by foot but has his belongings on a wagon.
tablespoon nounA spoon too large for eating, usually used for cooking or serving.
teacake nounA sweet cake, sometimes sprinkled with cinnamon and caster sugar, often served warm.
tonguey nounAn act or an instance of kissing that involves the use of one's tongue.
transportable nounA semi-permanent building, such as a portable classroom in a school, or accommodation for fly-in fly-out workers.
trots nounA trotting race meet; harness racing.
trundler nounGolf pushcart.
turps nounAny alcoholic drink.
unco adjectiveUncoordinated.
unleaded nounLow-alcohol beer.
waddy nounA war club used by Aboriginal Australians; a nulla nulla.
walloper nounA policeman, a male police officer.
yobbo nounA yob.
kiddo nounA close friend; especially used as a form of address.
manchester nounHousehold linen.
blimey interjectionUsed to express anger, excitement, surprise, etc.
frankfurt nounA frankfurter; a hot dog sausage.
righto interjectionOkay; all right.
nong nounAn idiot.
choco nounA person with dark skin tone.
sav nounA saveloy.
dunder nounDistillery effluent.
gynaecologist noun(Canadian spelling, also common) A physician who specialises in diseases of the female reproductive system.
brumby nounA wild or feral horse.
arvo nounAfternoon.
abo nounAn aborigine; aboriginal.
WordMeaning
alco nounAn alcoholic.
bardie nounThe edible larva of an insect.
barracking nounThe act of cheering for or supporting a team.
barracouta nounThe snoek, Thyrsites atun, a foodfish.
bathers nounA swimsuit; a bathing costume.
bellbird nounThe bell miner, Manorina melanophrys, a bird that feeds on bell lerps (a variety of psyllid).
berley nounMaterial (frequently rancid) used as bait to attract fish or other organisms.
bikie nounA motorcyclist who is a member of a club; a biker.
billabong nounAn anabranch, backwater or oxbow lake that is temporarily cut off from the main river, especially one that is only filled with water during the rainy season and can sometimes dry up completely.
billycan nounA lightweight pot for cooking or boiling water, used in camping.
bint nounA woman, a girl.
blackbirding nounThe practice of kidnapping Pacific Islanders, or kanakas, for sale as cheap labour.
blackboy nounAny plant in the genus Xanthorrhoea, native to Australia.
blackfellow nounA (male) Australian Aborigine.
blanky adjectiveA mild intensifier, expressing irritation.
blowie nounA blowfly, Lucilia cuprina.
bodgie nounA member of a 1950s rock subculture; a teddy boy.
bombora nounA shallow isolated piece of reef located a distance offshore.
bonzer adjectiveRemarkable; wonderful; excellent; terrific.
boobialla nounAny of various flowering plants in the genus Myoporum in the figwort family.
boodie nounA species of bettong, Bettongia lesueur.
boong nounAn Australian Aboriginal person.
breakwind nounA windbreak.
brickfielder nounA hot, dry, dusty wind of southern or central Australia.
brinny nounA stone thrown as a missile.
broadacre adjectiveOf or pertaining to, or suitable for large-scale farming.
buckjump verbOf a horse, to jump upwards with arched back and head down in an attempt to throw its rider.
bulldust nounFine red dust, found in desert regions of Australia.
bullocky nounA person (usually a man) who drives a cart pulled by a team of bullocks.
bunger nounA cigarette.
bunyip nounA mythical Australian monster, said to inhabit swamps and lagoons.
bushfire nounAn uncontrolled fire in a wooded or grassy area; a wildfire.
bushwalking nounThe activity of hiking or backpacking.
bushwoman nounA woman who lives or has lived in the Australian outback.
busker nounA person who makes money by passing the hat (soliciting donations) while entertaining the public (often by playing a musical instrument) on the streets or in other public area such as a park or market.
cadetship nounA kind of training programme that combines on-the-job experience with formal training; an apprenticeship
calaboose nounA prison or jail/gaol.
candidature nounThe condition of becoming a candidate; candidateship.
carn interjectionCome on.
chasings nounA children's chasing game with multiple players in which one person runs after other players attempting to catch or touch them; a player caught then becomes the new chaser.
chiack verbTo taunt or tease.
chookie nounA small or young domestic fowl; a chick.
chroming nounThe act of inhaling the fumes of substances such as glue or paint, usually by sniffing them from a paper bag or bottle, with the aim of getting intoxicated.
chunder nounVomit.
clacker nounThe anus.
clearway nounA road or other path that is kept free of obstructions, or on which stopping is strictly regulated, in order to maintain free flow of movement.
cobbra nounHead, skull
cooee nounA long, loud call used to attract attention when at a distance, mainly done in the Australian bush.
cootie nounAny germ or contaminant, real or imagined, especially from the opposite gender (for pre-pubescent children).
cossie nounA swimming costume.
crim nounA criminal.
cunjevoi nounA coastal sea squirt, Pyura stolonifera, found in some parts of Australia and South Africa.
curlew nounA stone curlew.
daks nounTrousers or underwear.
darb nounA cigarette.
demountable nounA temporary and portable building, especially a portable classroom in a school.
dero nounA homeless person, a tramp; a social derelict, especially an alcoholic.
desto nounA headsign; a destination sign: a moveable or electronic display mounted on a bus or other public transport vehicle to indicate its intended route and destination.
dinkum adjectiveGenuine, true, honest, on the level.
dogger nounA wild dog trapper employed in the pastoral industry.
dogman nounAn assistant to a crane operator, responsible for securing the crane's load and directing the operator.
donga nounA transportable building with single rooms, often used on remote work sites or as tourist accommodation.
drey nounA possum’s nest, built of twigs and leaves in a tree.
driveaway nounSale price including all dealer fees, and all legally required fees such as registration and insurance.
drongo nounA fool, an idiot, a stupid fellow.
droob nounAn ineffectual or unattractive person; a dag.
dunger nounAn old, worn-out machine, especially a car.
durry nounA cigarette, especially a roll-your-own.
dux nounThe top (male or female) academic student in a school, or in a year of school; the top student in a specified academic discipline.
enrol verbStandard spelling of enroll.
faff nounAn overcomplicated task, especially one perceived as a waste of time.
festy adjectiveDisgusting.
flagfall nounA fixed fare charged at the beginning of a taxi ride
fossick verbTo search for something; to rummage.
franger nounA condom.

Meanings from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0). Sources